Poultry Litter
Amendments
Distributed in furtherance of the
Acts of Congress of May 8 and
June 30, 1914. North Carolina
State University and North Carolina
A&T State University commit them¬
selves to positive action to secure
equal opportunity regardless of
race, color, creed, national origin,
religion, sex, age, or disability. In
addition, the two Universities wel¬
come all persons without regard to
sexual orientation. North Carolina
State University, North Carolina
A&T State University, U.S. Depart¬
ment of Agriculture, and local
governments cooperating.
NC
Broiler and turkey litter typically consists of wood
shavings, rice hulls, or peanut hulls. Microbes
in the litter convert the birds’ excreta and spilled
feed into ammonium (NH4+), which can bind to
litter and also dissolve in water. Depending on the
moisture content, temperature, and acidity of the
litter, a portion of the ammonium will be converted
into ammonia (NH3) gas. Ammonia production
is favored by high temperature and high pH (i.e.,
alkaline conditions).
Ammonia irritates the eyes and respiratory
system of birds (and humans) and reduces resis¬
tance to infection. High ammonia levels in poultry
houses can adversely affect bird performance and
health, causing a loss of profits to the grower and
integrator. While it has been recommended that
ammonia concentration in poultry houses be kept
below 25 parts per million (ppm), newer research
has indicated that continuous exposure to even 10
ppm can be harmful to the bird’s health. Adding
litter amendments can reduce ammonia in poultry
houses.
There are many types of litter amendments,
such as acidifiers, alkaline materials, adsorbers,
inhibiters, or microbial treatments. However, only
a few have been evaluated and found to be effec¬
tive in controlled studies. Three acidifiers that are
currently in use — Al+Clear,* Poultry Guard, and
Poultry Litter Treatment — are compared in Table 1 .
Acidifiers create acidic conditions in the litter,
reducing conversion of ammonium to ammonia.
The acidity also inhibits the activities of bacteria
and enzymes that are involved in the formation of
ammonia, reducing ammonia production. While
some studies have shown acidifiers to be effec¬
tive in reducing ammonia to less than 25 ppm for
3 to 4 weeks after application, other studies have
shown that acidifiers can provide at least partial
ammonia control for up to 7 weeks.
Alkaline materials, such as agricultural lime,
hydrated or slaked lime, and burnt lime, increase
the litter alkalinity and convert more of the arnmo-
Using amendments may offer other economic
and environmental benefits:
• Reducing ammonia loss will increase
the nutrient value of the litter while
improving air quality.
• Reducing ammonia production may
reduce ventilation needs and, hence,
energy costs in houses that have inad¬
equate ventilation.
• Odor complaints from neighbors may
be reduced.
• Pathogen and pest levels in the house
may be reduced.
• Water quality may improve because the
use of alum can reduce the loss of
soluble phosphoms and heavy metals
in the runoff from land-applied poultry
litter.
nium into ammonia gas. It then must be vented
to the outdoors, and this can become an environ¬
mental problem.
Adsorbers (clinoptilolite and peat) have
been tested, and clinoptilolite has shown mixed
results. Peat seems too expensive to be practical.
Inhibitors have been tested and also seem
too expensive.
Microbial treatments have been marketed as
improving the performance of microbes in the
litter and thus benefiting poultry performance,
but such statements are not published in scien¬
tific journals.
Whatever the choice of amendment, the
supplier should be contacted for specific infor¬
mation on use. When handling amendments, all
safety precautions should be taken, including
wearing personal protective equipment.
Using an amendment is no substitute for
good in-house management. For detailed infor¬
mation on poultry litter amendments, go to the
Web : www. bae.ncs u.ed u/program s/ex tension/
publicat/wqwm/animops.html
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■ Alt Clear is applied inside a poultry house using a spinner spreader in the photo above.
Sprinkling water helps reduce dust levels and activates the amendment.
Photo courtesy of C. Kim, General Chemical Corp.